A former solicitor has told the High Court he is not proud of what he had done to his former fiancée who is facing a loss of some €300,000 and possible ejection from the house they built at Rathcormac, Co Cork.
Mr Joseph Quirke, Midleton, Co Cork, was giving evidence in an action in which he is being sued by his former fiancée, Ms Ann Twomey, Ballinterry, Rathcormac. She is also suing Mr Kieran Quill, trading as J. Hodnett and Son, solicitor, Youghal, Cork.
Mr Quirke and Ms Twomey bought 20 acres of land at Ballinterry in the early 1990s. Ms Twomey funded the construction of the house which is now valued at between €500,000-€600,000.
Three mortgages were raised on the house with the Irish Nationwide Building Society. Ms Twomey claimed she signed the first mortgage for what she believed was for £40,000 in 1991.
She claimed she discovered her name had been forged on building society documents during an investigation of Mr Quirke's solicitor's practice in 1993. Mr Quill had been retained by Mr Quirke to act for the couple.
An earlier hearing was told that Ms Twomey discovered the £40,000 mortgage had in fact been for £83,000. She alleged she also discovered two further mortgages were raised with the same building society and that her name was forged on documents applying for both.
Her counsel, Mr Pat Russell, has told the court the building society had taken ejectment proceedings against Ms Twomey and Mr Quirke. Because of the fraud perpetrated on her, she was facing a loss of €300,000.
Mr Quirke said he did not tell Ms Twomey that the original mortgage was for £83,000. He admitted that he used some of the money to support his failing solicitor's practice and that was a deception on Ms Twomey.
He told Mr Hugh O'Neill SC, for Mr Quill, he accepted he was negligent. Ms Twomey had no idea what she was signing when she signed the second mortgage and he covered up the pages showing the figures in the third mortgage when getting her to sign.
He admitted he was struck off as a solicitor and that some of the money went on alcohol and gambling. He accepted it was not true to suggest that Mr Quill had been "a partner in crime". He was not proud of having written a letter to Ms Twomey in which he tried to implicate Mr Quill.
In evidence, Mr Quill said he had explained the building society documentation to Ms Twomey. His practice had been not to sign his name to documents unless he had actually witnessed signatures. He could not recall the circumstances of the signing of the second mortgage.
The hearing continues today.